JP3587288B2 - Cutter lifting mechanism for equipment with cutting function - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a cutter elevating mechanism used in a device having a cutting function, such as a cutting plotter or a printer for cutting a sheet into an arbitrary shape.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, in order to cut a sheet into an arbitrary shape, an apparatus having a cutting function such as a cutting plotter has been used. In such an apparatus, it is necessary to move the cutter up and down between a position where the cutter is pressed against the sheet and cut, and a position where the cutter is lifted away from the sheet. Therefore, a dedicated actuator is provided to raise and lower the cutter.
[0003]
However, this actuator has a problem that the cost is high and a problem that the structure of the elevating mechanism is complicated.
For this reason, a technology as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,436,646 has been developed as a lifting mechanism capable of reducing the cost and simplifying the structure.
[0004]
That is, as shown in FIG. 8 to FIG. 10, the cam 3 is provided so that the cam 3 can move to the left and right with the ends protruding from the left and right sides of the carriage 2 moving to the left and right on the platen 1 as shown in FIGS. ing. A cutter holding box 4 is provided on one side surface of the carriage 2, and a cutter 7 is attached to the inside of the carriage holding box 4 via a moving unit 6 which is vertically urged downward by a spring 5. I have.
[0005]
A pin 8 protrudes from the moving part 6, and a guide hole 9 for guiding the pin 8 is formed in the cam 3. Therefore, by pressing the left and right ends 3a and 3b of the cam 3, respectively, the engagement position between the pin 8 and the guide hole 9 is changed, so that the cutter 7 can be raised or lowered. The left and right ends of the cam 3 are pressed by moving the carriage 2 to the side surfaces 10 and 11 on both sides of the platen 1 and pressing the cam 3 against the side surfaces 10 and 11.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the device with the cutting function as described above, both ends of the cam may not always be able to protrude from both sides of the carriage.
For example, when it is desired to provide not only a cutter but also a writing instrument on the carriage so that drawing can be performed outside of the cutting, the cam may not be able to protrude on one side.
[0007]
Further, when the cams protrude on both sides, there is also a problem that the cutting range on the platen is narrowed accordingly.
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and a member other than a cutter or the like can be attached to the other side surface of the carriage. Further, without reducing the range of cutting on the platen, the present invention is more inexpensive. It is an object of the present invention to provide a raising and lowering mechanism of a cutter in a device having a simple cutting function.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the lifting mechanism of the cutter in the apparatus with a cutting function according to the present invention is configured such that one end of a rotating body is rotatably mounted on a carriage that moves left and right on a platen, and is slidable left and right. The slide member is attached while being biased to one side by a spring.
[0009]
The slide member is provided with an engagement pin protruding therefrom, and the rotary body is provided with a cam hole in which the engagement pin is slidably engageable. Like that. In addition, a pressing roller and a cutter are provided at the lower portion on the other end side of the rotating body, a contact portion is provided on one side surface of the platen to contact an end portion of the slide member, and a relief hole is provided on the bottom surface on the other side. Provided.
[0010]
Therefore, when the carriage is moved to one side of the platen, the slide member comes into contact with the contact portion and moves against the spring. As a result, when the other end of the rotating body is lowered and the pressing roller is pressed against the sheet on the platen, the engaging pin is pressed against the edge of the cam hole by the reaction force, and the lowered state is maintained. For this reason, cutting becomes possible.
[0011]
When the cutting is completed, the carriage is moved to the other side of the platen, and the pressing roller is positioned at the escape hole. As a result, the pressure contact between the engagement pin and the edge of the cam hole is released, and the biasing force of the spring moves the slide member to raise the other end of the rotating body. For this reason, the pressing roller and the cutter also move above the sheet, so that cutting cannot be performed.
[0012]
Further, the supporting portion of the pressing roller may be constituted by an elastic piece protruding from the main body of the rotating body. As a result, even if vibrations occur in the moving carriage, the pressing roller can maintain an appropriate pressure contact state on the sheet surface without being affected by the vibrations.
[0013]
In addition, the position of the blade edge of the cutter is prevented from protruding from the lower end of the pressing roller when not in use, thereby preventing an operator from touching the cutter and being injured. Even in this case, at the time of cutting the sheet, the elastic piece is bent by the pressing of the pressing roller, so that the cutting edge of the cutter projects below the lower end of the pressing roller. Therefore, appropriate cutting can be performed.
[0014]
In the present invention, the device with a cutting function includes not only a device having only a cutting function such as a cutting plotter but also a device such as a printer in which a drawing function is added to a drawing function.
[0015]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 schematically shows a main part of a cutting plotter 20 having a cutter elevating mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the cutting plotter 20, a plurality of drive rolls (hidden and invisible in the figure) are arranged in a row at a predetermined interval on a platen 22 on which a sheet 21 is set.
[0016]
A pair of pinch rolls 23 are disposed above the drive rolls corresponding to both sides of the sheet 21 in a state of being elastically in contact with the drive rolls by springs. Therefore, the sheet 21 can be moved back and forth by rotating the drive roll in the forward and reverse directions.
[0017]
A rail 24 is provided above the platen 22 in parallel with the platen 22, and a carriage 25 is mounted on the rail 24 so as to be able to travel left and right along the rail 24. A rod-shaped abutting portion 26 protrudes from a portion of one side wall of the platen 22 corresponding to the carriage 25, and a relief hole 27 is formed in the bottom surface on the other side of the platen 22.
[0018]
Further, the carriage 25 is provided with a cutter elevating mechanism 28 as shown in FIGS.
That is, in the figure, reference numeral 29 denotes a plate-shaped base, and a support shaft 30 is provided at a substantially central portion of one end thereof, and one end of a rotating body 31 is rotatably attached to the support shaft 30.
[0019]
Further, a slide engagement groove 32 extending in the horizontal direction is formed on the lower side of the base 29, and a rod-shaped slide member 33 is movably engaged with the slide engagement groove 32. In addition, a long hole 34 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 is provided on the bottom surface (vertical surface in the figure) of the slide engagement groove 32 in the base body 29.
[0020]
A screw 35 is attached to a portion of the slide member 33 corresponding to the elongated hole 34 with its head protruding from the back surface of the base 29. Therefore, the slide member 33 can be moved within a range in which the screw 35 comes into contact with both ends of the elongated hole 34. A projection 36 projects from a substantially central portion on the lower side of the back surface of the base 29, and a coil-shaped spring 37 is stretched between the projection 36 and the screw 35 to bias the slide member 33 to one side. ing.
[0021]
An engagement pin 38 protrudes from a substantially central portion on the front surface side of the slide member 33, and a hook-shaped engagement piece 39 protrudes from a portion of the base body 29 corresponding to the other end edge of the rotating body 31. Is established.
[0022]
The rotating body 31 is formed of a plate-like body as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, and a cam hole 40 through which the engaging pin 38 can slidably engage is formed substantially in the center. The cam hole 40 includes a horizontal portion 40a on the upper end side and an inclined portion 40b extending obliquely downward from the other end of the horizontal portion 40a. Therefore, when the slide member 33 is moved to move the engagement pin 38 in the cam hole 40, the rotating body 31 rotates about the support shaft 30, and the other end of the rotating body 31 moves up and down.
[0023]
Reference numeral 41 denotes an elastic piece protruding from the lower end of the rotating body 31, and a shaft hole 42 is formed in the tapered portion 41a at the tip. The elastic piece 41 has flexibility, and can bend at a maximum until the tapered portion 41a contacts the main body side edge 31a of the rotating body 31.
[0024]
Further, a thin circular arc portion 43 is formed at the other end edge of the rotating body 31, and the engaging piece 39 of the base body 29 is slidably engaged so as to cover this portion. Therefore, when the rotating body 31 rotates about the support shaft 30, the rotating body 31 slides without separating from the surface of the base 29. Reference numeral 44 denotes a shaft hole that engages with the support shaft 30.
[0025]
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a pressing roller 46 is rotatably attached to the shaft hole 42 of the tapered portion 41 a via a shaft 45. Between them, a thin plate-shaped cutter 47 is fixed. The cutter 47 is fastened and fixed to the rotating body 31 by screws 49 via a plate-shaped holding piece 48. At this time, it is preferable that the lower end of the cutter 47 be substantially equal in height to the lower end of the pressing roller 46.
[0026]
In this configuration, when cutting the sheet 21 using the cutting plotter 20 provided with the cutter elevating mechanism 28, first, as shown in FIG. 1, the cutting sheet 21 is set on the platen 22 and driven. It is pinched between the roll and the pinch roll 23.
[0027]
Next, the carriage 25 is moved to one side (left side in the drawing) of the platen 22, and the end of the slide member 33 is pressed against the contact portion 26. As a result, the slide member 33 and the rotating body 31 are changed from the state shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 to the state shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, and the pressing roller 46 and the cutter 47 come into contact with the sheet 21.
[0028]
This operation will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. When the slide member 33 moves, the engagement pin 38 moves the lower edge of the inclined portion 40 b downward from the lower end position of the inclined portion 40 b of the cam hole 40. The rotator 31 moves as if pressed, and reaches the horizontal portion 40a while lowering the other end of the rotating body 31 downward. Thereby, the lower ends of the pressing roller 46 and the cutter 47 abut on the sheet 21.
[0029]
When the carriage 25 is further moved from that state, the leading end of the cutter 47 is inserted into the sheet 21 and becomes ready for cutting. The pressing roller 46 presses the sheet 21 against the platen 22 by the elasticity of the elastic piece 41 and is urged upward by a reaction force on the platen 22 side. With this urging force, the engagement pin 38 is pressed against the lower edge of the horizontal portion 40a, and the lowering state of the pressing roller 46 and the cutter 47 is maintained by the frictional force.
[0030]
When the cutter 47 is lifted from the sheet 21 after the cutting is completed, the carriage 25 is moved to the other side (to the right in FIG. 1). When the pressing roller 46 reaches the position of the escape hole 27 of the platen 22, the elastic piece 41 returns to a free state without bending, and the pressure contact between the engagement pin 38 and the lower edge of the horizontal portion 40a is released. You.
[0031]
As a result, the elasticity of the spring 37 causes the slide member 33 to move to the left side in the drawing. Therefore, the engagement pin 38 moves from the horizontal portion 40a of the cam hole 40 to the lower end of the inclined portion 40b, and the other end of the rotating body 31 moves up together with the pressing roller 46 and the cutter 47.
[0032]
As described above, in the cutter elevating mechanism 28, when the carriage 25 is moved to one side of the platen 22, cutting is possible, and when the carriage 25 is moved to the other side, it is not used. In addition, during cutting, the pressing roller 46 provided adjacent to the cutter 47 presses the sheet 21 against the platen 22, so that the cutting accuracy can be prevented from lowering due to the floating of the sheet 21 and good cutting can be performed.
[0033]
Further, since the elastic piece 41 supporting the pressing roller 46 has flexibility, the pressing roller 46 travels on the surface of the sheet 21 in an appropriate state. For example, the pressing roller 46 can travel following the surface of the sheet 21 even when the surface of the sheet 21 has some irregularities or vibration occurs during the travel of the carriage 25.
[0034]
Also, during cutting, the elastic piece 41 bends and the cutter 47 projects from the lower end of the pressing roller 46, and the cutter 47 is hidden behind the pressing roller 46 when not in use. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the worker from suddenly touching the cutter 47 and being injured when not in use.
[0035]
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the end of the slide member 33 protrudes from the base 29. However, since the means for moving the slide member 33 is the rod-shaped contact portion 26, the slide member 33 Can be set to such a length that all of them can be accommodated in the base body 29. As a result, the width of the entire cutter elevating mechanism 28 can be reduced, and the range in which cutting can be performed on the platen 22 can be increased.
[0036]
In addition to the above-described embodiment, the cutter elevating mechanism 28 can be used for sheet cutting of a printer having an image forming function. In this case, after the drawing is completed, the carriage 25 is moved to lower the pressing roller 46 and the cutter 47. Then, the sheet 21 is cut by moving the carriage 25 to the other side. After the cutting is completed, when the pressing roller 46 reaches the position of the escape hole 27, the pressing roller 46 and the cutter 47 are raised and become unused.
[0037]
In this case, even if the drawing means such as a writing instrument is arranged on one side surface of the carriage 25, no problem occurs in the elevating operation of the cutter 47, and it is exactly the same as when only the cutter 47 is attached to the carriage 25. Operation can be performed. Further, the cutter elevating mechanism 28 can be used for a facsimile and other devices having a cutting function.
[0038]
In the above-described embodiment, the contact portion 26 is formed of a rod-shaped body. However, this is not particularly used, and the slide member 33 may be pressed against one side surface of the platen 22. However, in this case, it is necessary to project one end of the slide member 33 from the base 29.
[0039]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the lifting mechanism of the cutter in the apparatus with a cutting function according to the present invention includes a rotating body provided with a cam hole and an engaging pin slidably engaged with the cam hole, and is biased to one side by a spring. Provided slide member. Then, by moving the slide member, one end side of the rotating body is moved up and down, and a pressing roller and a cutter are provided at the one end side.
[0040]
Further, as a means for lowering the pressing roller and the cutter, a contact portion is provided on one side surface of the platen, and as a means for raising the platen, an escape hole is provided on the bottom surface on the other side of the platen. Therefore, a device other than the cutter, such as a drawing unit, can be provided on one side surface of the carriage.
[0041]
In addition, since the slide member does not protrude from one side of the carriage, the cutting range on the platen can be widened. Further, by forming the contact portion into a rod shape, the other end of the slide member can be prevented from protruding from the carriage. Thereby, the range in which cutting can be performed is further widened.
[0042]
Further, by forming the supporting portion of the pressing roller with an elastic piece, the pressing state of the pressing roller against the sheet surface can be appropriately maintained, and accurate cutting can be performed.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a front view showing a main part of a cutting plotter provided with a cutter elevating mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a front view showing a cutter elevating mechanism in a state where a pressing roller and a cutter are raised.
FIG. 3 is a rear view of the cutter elevating mechanism of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a front view showing the cutter elevating mechanism with the pressing roller and the cutter lowered.
FIG. 5 is a rear view of the cutter elevating mechanism of FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship between a rotating body and a pin in a state where a pressing roller and a cutter are raised.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a relationship between a rotating body and a pin in a state where a pressing roller and a cutter are lowered.
FIG. 8 is a front view showing a main part of a cutting plotter provided with a cutter elevating mechanism according to the related art.
FIG. 9 is a front view showing a conventional cutter lifting mechanism.
FIG. 10 is a rear view showing the rear surface of the cutter elevating mechanism of FIG. 9;
[Explanation of symbols]
Reference Signs List 20 cutting plotter 21 sheet 22 platen 25 carriage 26 contact portion 27 escape hole 28 cutter raising / lowering mechanism 30 support shaft 31 rotating body 32 slide engagement groove 33 slide member 37 spring 38 Engaging pin 40 cam hole 40a horizontal portion 40b inclined portion 41 elastic piece 46 pressing roller 47 cutter

Claims (2)

A cutter elevating mechanism in a device with a cutting function for moving a cutter left and right on a platen to cut the sheet by moving the cutter left and right,
One end of the rotating body is rotatably mounted on the carriage that moves left and right on the platen, and a slide member that can slide left and right is mounted with a spring biased to one side, and an engagement pin is attached to this slide member. The rotating body is provided with a cam hole in which the engaging pin is slidably engageable so that the other end of the rotating body moves up and down by the movement of the slide member. A press roller and a cutter are arranged on one side of the platen, a contact portion is provided on one side of the platen for contact with an end of the slide member, and a relief hole is provided on a bottom surface of the other side. When the slide member abuts against the abutment portion and moves against the spring, the other end of the rotating body descends and when the pressing roller presses against the sheet on the platen, the engaging pin When the carriage is moved to the other side of the platen and the pressing roller is positioned in the relief hole, the contact between the engaging pin and the edge of the cam hole is released, and the spring is attached. A cutter raising / lowering mechanism in a device with a cutting function, wherein the slide member is moved by the force and the other end of the rotating body is raised. The cutter lifting / lowering mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the supporting portion of the pressing roller is formed of an elastic piece protruding from the main body of the rotating body.

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